


Faith

by Ilvermere



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Faith and Hope, Fluff, Human Happy - Freeform, London Bombing (1940), M/M, World War II, no issues with sexuality, noble Gray, not entirely accurate, soldier Natsu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 06:12:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10380228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilvermere/pseuds/Ilvermere
Summary: Natsu was drafted into the Second World War. Gray was not, thanks to his noble blood. Natsu was supposed to be the one to come face to face with death; Gray was supposed to be safe back in London. But wars are not always limited to the battlefield and Natsu learns the hard way that sometimes the only thing you can do is have faith.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Punkakess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punkakess/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Goodbye](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10233155) by [Punkakess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punkakess/pseuds/Punkakess). 



> Hello and welcome!  
> I wrote this piece in response to Punkakess's lovely work, "Goodbye".  
> If you haven't read that, I would highly recommend it; it's a cute, bittersweet little fic.  
> Dear Punks, this fic's for you!  
> Now, this one is a little different - I made the timeframe earlier than "Goodbye"  
> In this, Happy is not a flying cat - sorry :/
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy :)

“Lieutenant Dragneel! Lieutenant Dragneel, sir!” The Lieutenant in question glanced up from cleaning his weapon and raised a brow as the other man entered his tent. He casually took the cigarette from between his lips.

“Yes, Corporal?” Smoke billowed out of the salmon-haired Lieutenant’s mouth. The Corporal took a couple seconds to ready himself before he reached into the front pocket of his uniform and retrieved a slip of paper.

“Sir, something has happened.” The Corporal was reluctant to share this news. He was rather fond of the Lieutenant; the man was personable, loyal, and welcoming. He was always in a good mood despite the somber atmosphere surrounding the entire warfront and tried frequently to keep morale up. And he never saw himself as a hero—which he _was_ —insisting that he was merely doing what he felt was right.

His squad liked him a lot, and considered him ‘one of the guys’ as opposed to their commanding officer. Upon doing so allowed the men to incessantly tease the Lieutenant about being so attached, so _hooked_ , on his fiancé. It was certainly amusing to hear Lieutenant Dragneel wax poetic about the man waiting for him back in London. Just from hearing the man speak about his beloved, the Corporal knew how much the man meant to the Lieutenant.

Which was why he dreaded to reveal what had taken place only days before. But Lieutenant Dragneel deserved to know.

“Sir, the Germans have attacked.” Natsu’s eyes sharpened at that. “The German Luftwaffe have been bombing and air raiding cities all across Europe.” The man paused and Natsu motioned with his cigarette to continue, ignoring the creeping chill up his spine. “We’ve received updates that the Germans have struck cities in Britain.” The Corporal swallowed and forced himself to meet his superior’s eyes. “Our pilots engaged the Luftwaffe in dogfights over the cities...But sir...London was hit. Badly, sir. The Germans have bombed it nearly to the ground.”

Natsu froze. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t _breathe_.

 _‘London was hit.’_ No, it can’t be.

 _‘The Germans have bombed it to the ground.’_ Gray...

Natsu swallowed the bile in his throat. “As you were, Corporal,” he rasped. The man saluted crisply and left the tent, leaving the reeling Lieutenant in his disbelief. The forgotten cigarette hit the ground, falling from numb fingers, and sizzled out of existence.

He couldn’t be gone. Gray couldn’t be _dead_. He was supposed to be safe. _Natsu_ was the one supposed to face death. _Gray was supposed to be safe!_

Natsu picked up the glass on his bedside table and hurled it against the ground with a cry of grief-stricken rage.

“Sir?” Natsu didn’t bother to look up to see who had entered his domain. “Lieutenant Dragneel?” It was his friend, of course it was. “Natsu?” He and the other guys had nicknamed the man ‘Happy’ on account he was all smiles and cheerfulness _all the time_. “Natsu what’s happened?” Happy strode into the tent, eyes wide and worried as they took in his distraught best friend.

“Gray,” came Natsu’s choked response, turning haunted eyes toward the other male.

“Gray?” Happy echoed. “Your fiancé? The one back home in London?” A slow, vacant nod. “Is he all right?” Happy asked hesitantly, simultaneously wanting and not wanting to hear the answer.

“Gone.” Natsu forced out, closing his eyes and clenching his fists so tightly, his knuckles turned white. “The fucking Germans bombed London!” Natsu unclenched his fists and pulled at his salmon hair. “Gray is gone!” A wail rose up at the last word. Happy could only gape silently at his friend for a solid minute before exploding into action.

He gripped Natsu’s wrists and pulled them away from his hair. “Natsu! Look at me!” A violent shake of a pink-haired head. “Natsu, just listen! Were you told, explicitly, that Gray was dead? Did you hear those words?” A pause; then a tentative headshake. “Then Gray may still be alive!” Natsu’s red-rimmed eyes slowly rose to meet Happy’s, a tiny spark of hope visible. “So have faith, Natsu.” Happy pleaded softly. “You have faith and we’ll make it home and Gray will be there and you’ll wax poetic about how beautiful you think he is and then you’ll sweep him off his feet and into your arms and then you’ll get married and have little salamander babies and Gray will get you to quit smoking and you’ll both live happily ever after...” Happy babbled, trying and failing to keep it together. Natsu could only stare fondly at his dear friend.

“Yeah, Happy,” he interrupted the man’s tearful rambles, “I’ll have faith. Gray’s waiting and I’ll need a best man at our wedding right?” He clasped Happy’s shoulder tightly. “And you’ll finally introduce me to the girl you keep gushing about. If she’s even real, that is,” he teased his friend gently.

“A-aye,” Happy sniffled loudly. “And Carla _is_ real!” 

Natsu let out a brief chuckle at his emotional friend’s expense. His chest still felt tight and his heart ached with bitter fear for his precious Snowflake. Hope that Gray was still breathing warred with terror that Gray was dead. Even Happy’s words of comfort couldn’t alleviate the worry or despair, but Natsu would do as his best friend wished.

He would have faith.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Lieutenant Dragneel!” Natsu turned to see one of his squad sprinting up to him. Exchanging a bemused look with Happy, the salmon-haired Lieutenant addressed his fellow soldier.

“Yes, Sergeant?” The Sergeant quickly caught his breath, handing Natsu a folded up, ragged newspaper. 

“Straight from London, sir! Take a look-see; I think you’ll find it to your liking.” Natsu grabbed the paper greedily, desperate for any news about Gray. The past few weeks of silence had been torture for his already frayed nerves. 

When he unfolded the paper to the front page, his breath caught.

There, battered, exhausted, bleeding, and worn, was Gray. His fiancé was perched atop a pile of rubble, helping people out and freeing them from their rocky prison. The raven-haired man looked breathtaking and Natsu wished he could see the sight in person; not just by a photograph that, in Natsu’s opinion, hardly did his beautiful Snowflake justice.

Photograph after photograph of Gray pulling people out of collapsed building or clearing paths for others to free themselves or directing people to safe shelters followed the front page. Entire pages dedicated to photographs of Gray and of other heroic people assisting their fellow Londoners out of the wreckages.

Natsu drank in each photograph of his Snowflake and of his neighbors like a desert escapee given water. His eyes fell onto the title of the article headlining the first photograph and his heart swelled with pride:

 

**The Queen Is Not The Only Ray Of Hope: Gray Fullbuster Stands Tall - Akin To A Hero Of Legend**

 

Underneath, the journalist wrote: _Gray Fullbuster, son of the late Lord Silver Fullbuster, shows us what heroes are made of. His actions have encouraged others of this great tragedy to unite together in the face of these bleak times and demonstrate that even though London itself has been devastated, its people will rise back up and never surrender hope._

“See?” Happy nudged Natsu, tearing the man from fantasies about his fiancé. “Sometimes all you need is a little faith.”

 _Yeah_ , Natsu agreed silently with a smile, looking back at his beloved Gray, _faith_.

**Author's Note:**

> Heroes can be found in all shapes and sizes. There are times when the most unexpected can rise above the rest and show us what true heroes are.  
> Praise to all the unsung heroes out there :)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave me a comment and tell me what you thought.


End file.
